Pages

Monday, May 29, 2017

This
was my first Bernard Cornwell novel and I picked it up because I wanted to
learn about the historical background of the Battle of Azincourt, one of the
significant battles in the Hundred Years' War, and about Henry V of England.
When I closed the book, I was a little disappointed at the dearth of historical
details relating to the ultimate and proximate causes that led to the battle,
and the character of Henry V still seemed somewhat blurry in my head.

In
the sweltering summer of 1415, the English army, having crossed the channel,
engaged in the siege of Harfleur (in Normandy), which ended in a hard-won
English victory. This prelude is followed by the English march north towards
Calais (English-occupied). Then in the rainy and gloomy month of October, the
English army had to face off with the far-outnumbering French army waiting in
the muddy field of Azincourt in Picardy. The battle scenes are vividly drawn,
with lots of gore, savagery, horror and obscenities (and feces too).
Descriptions about armor, weapons and archery, in particular the usage of
longbows, are expertly detailed. But some episodes as well as the ending of
the novel come across as a bit cliched.

I
did come away with a better understanding of why the English and the French
hated each other's guts for so long.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

I’m
giving this novel 3.5 stars. It is overall a meticulously researched and
well-written historical romance set in 14th century England about
Katherine Swynford, the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

The
first half of the book is dedicated to describing the romantic love that
develops in a tortuous way between the two protagonists. Katherine is initially
married off against her wish to a brutish husband, whose faults include poverty
that results from mismanagement of his estates. Then Prince Charming, who is
happily married to a charming and kind princess, comes along and delivers the
poor girl from despair. Then the lovers find ways to carry on with their
illicit love affair, always plagued by guilt towards their respective spouses.
I find this portion too drawn out with too many happy coincidences, that is, too
much of a Cinderella type of story. The bits about John’s childhood bête noire
and his squire’s murder of Katherine’s husband are contrived.

The
second half is much better and more realistic and the pace is quicker. I like
the back stories about the Plantagenet family, the political intrigue
surrounding religious reform and the lead-up to and the actual June 1381
peasants’ revolt in London. But the part about Katherine’s self-imposed
penitence drags too much.

By
the time I was near the ending, I could pretty much predict what was going to
happen.

I’m
glad though to have learned where Henry V and Henry VI of England came from, and
the origins of the Beaufort/Tudor line and of the Yorkists.

Contact Form

SUBSCRIBE HERE to follow my posts!

About Me

Always fascinated with iconic but unsung females in Chinese history and legends, I cherish a dream of bringing them to the page. Chinese history and poetry, Jin Yong novels, English, French and Russian classics have colored my life and imagination.